Bhubaneswar/Cuttack: Old Town resident Chandrabhanu Kar spent the morning feeling anxious about his daughter's well-being as he shuffled from one hospital to another. Little Kar, 20, is a thalassaemia patient and requires blood transfusion every three months.

"She has been complaining of fatigue since the past few days and I have fixed a visit to the hospital for Friday and that was my mistake. I visited four hospitals, but couldn't get the blood," said Kar.

Several private hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centres across the twin cities remained shut on Friday as part of a strike called by the All-Odisha Private Medical Establishment Forum to demand amendments to the Odisha Clinical Establishment Act, 1990.

"Around 1,777 private hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centres in Odisha, including 600 in the twin cities downed shutters," said Krupasindhu Panda, president of the Private Hospital and Diagnostics' Association of Odisha.

Panda said members of the association, including entrepreneurs of private hospitals and diagnostic centres, bore the major load of the health care burden in Odisha, and timely renewal of registrations was essential for smooth functioning of the units. "We are facing serious lapses in registration and renewal since 2014," he said.

Proprietors of many private clinical establishments are apprehensive about the renewal of their registrations because of non-adherence to fire safety norms, sources said.

The association had submitted a memorandum to the government to register new hospitals and renew licences of old ones, including approval of fire and house planning rules, within 30 days.

Since the private hospitals and clinics remained shut, the burden was borne by Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar and SCB Medical College and Hospital where the authorities had made arrangements for the patient inflow.

"Doctors have been asked to be on duty to ensure that health services are extended accordingly," said SCB emergency officer Bhubanananda Maharana.

At Capital Hospital, people were seen making a beeline for the casualty and other outdoor facilities. "My sister started vomiting in the morning. I took her to a private hospital, but learnt that they are on strike. I was forced to bring her here," said Nayagarh resident Sitaram Hota.

However, several corporate hospitals stayed away from the strike. "We are here to provide health care services and, hence, decided to keep the facility open," said the spokesperson for a corporate-run hospital here.